SINGAPORE - Singapore shooters Anuar Abdullah and Peter Teh won silver and bronze respectively in the men's individual precision pistol competition at the National Shooting Centre on Sunday.
This is the first time the WA1500 event is being contested at the Games, and Thailand's Thanawut Thammawai won after pipping Anuar 232 to 224 in the gold-medal match.
During the shooting, Anuar missed out on at least seven points when a hot cartridge fell on his right wrist, affecting his aim. With seconds left to fire his remaining six bullets, he panicked.
"I had to chase for time and that's when my rhythm of shots was not good. By then, I knew something was not right," said the 46-year-old corrections officer.
Despite the loss, Anuar said competing at the first WA1500 event at the Games was "a great experience".
For Thammawai, who entered the finals tied with Anuar with 232 points in the semi-finals, winning gold was a sign that Thailand was regaining foothold in the sport.
"In the past, Thailand was first in shooting at the SEA Games. But the standard has been falling for 20 years, until today. But at this Games, we have improved," said the 32-year-old.
In the bronze-medal match, Teh beat the Philippines' Mar Udan 221 to 209.
The Singapore men's team also won a silver in the team event with a combined score of 1,754, while Thailand won gold with 1,762 and the Philippines bronze with 1,742.
